Tour Striker Training Aid

[Harmonious]

I have always had a problem with thin iron shots, mainly caused by coming out of my spine angle, so I thought this might help.  And it really has.  I picked up the Pro X version, which has a reduced sweet spot. It took me about 30 swings to get the first one airborne but, once I concentrated on staying down and got that good feeling, I made much better contact.  I've used it 3 times in the past week, and can really see the difference in my regular iron play.  I'm about half a club longer with a higher ball flight.  I look forward to continuing to work with it, I think it's a great tool.

[Tour Striker]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

I have always had a problem with thin iron shots, mainly caused by coming out of my spine angle, so I thought this might help.  And it really has.  I picked up the Pro X version, which has a reduced sweet spot. It took me about 30 swings to get the first one airborne but, once I concentrated on staying down and got that good feeling, I made much better contact.  I've used it 3 times in the past week, and can really see the difference in my regular iron play.  I'm about half a club longer with a higher ball flight.  I look forward to continuing to work with it, I think it's a great tool.

Thanks for the nice comments! Good luck with your game.

Martin Chuck

[Daredent]

I am planning to pick one up myself.

[cphuph1]

I think it is a great training aid.  the first couple of times i hit it, i hit it perfectly, so i put it back in the bag and went with my regular irons. came back to after a bucket and couldnt hit it for my life. i have had it for three months now, havent really seen any gain on distance but have been getting more spin around the greens, i was always a picker that hit the ball mile high in the air (hit 5 iron and people would think i hit my pitching wedge). i  would highly recommend it and i got the tour 7 iron @ 2 degrees flat to match my ping eye2 orange dots. also i like to hit it before a round b/c if you hit it good then it gives you confidence like tom watson always says he would hit his 2 iron first. if he hit it good then he had confidence for the day if he hit it bad well you werent supposed to hit a 2 iron well anyway.

[cphuph1]

I think it is a great training aid.  the first couple of times i hit it, i hit it perfectly, so i put it back in the bag and went with my regular irons. came back to after a bucket and couldnt hit it for my life. i have had it for three months now, havent really seen any gain on distance but have been getting more spin around the greens, i was always a picker that hit the ball mile high in the air (hit 5 iron and people would think i hit my pitching wedge). i  would highly recommend it and i got the tour 7 iron @ 2 degrees flat to match my ping eye2 orange dots. also i like to hit it before a round b/c if you hit it good then it gives you confidence like tom watson always says he would hit his 2 iron first. if he hit it good then he had confidence for the day if he hit it bad well you werent supposed to hit a 2 iron well anyway.

[perfectswing]

Never Used it,   however it does look like a valid tool to teach people to get some forward shaft lean on their iron shots.

[04v8s4]

I bought one late last season.  I only had one session at the range to practice with it.  I have had a problem with flipping at the ball in the past and I saw immediate results with this club.  I can't wait to have some range time with it this season.  Winter seems to be lingering this year!

[TopWalker]

I've seen the commercial as well, but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on the club. My iron play is weak, but I'm going to try puting something behind the ball a few inches and see if I can improve hitting down on the ball better. Tall tees, a shoebox top could work. I think I saw on The Haney Project where Rush had to hit and avoid a lie board behind the ball. Just a few ideas.

TW

[Tifosinumerouno]

I asked my wife for one for Christmas, and actually got it! I got the Pro 7 iron. The first time I hit it at the range, I couldn't hit it well. Then, the second time, I was getting height, but no distance. I figured out the elevated tee box at my course was too sandy, and I was able to hit fat and slide the club underneath, catching the ball on the clubface. I went out on the course and hit some shots with it where I would use a 7 iron, and had sketchy results. I recently went out and did nothing but hit it at the range, and found the right way to hit it. It takes a good bit of concentration and a feeling that I had to push down past the ball. I have seen some definite results on the course, and think my pro and I will use it when I start taking some more lessons next week.

[msullivangolf]

I've tried the tour striker, it definitely provides feedback to the player in regard to his/her impact.  The problem with the device is that it doesn't train the player to have a good impact position.  An impact bag, is one of the best impact training aids I've ever used.  Here's a video that explains the merits:

[mpb1472]

I have the Pro 7 iron. I have improved each time I have used it. The first session I had a number of worm burners, shanks and line drives but felt a few good ones. The last session, I could get most of my shots up in the air quite nicely. When I hit balls with my playing 7 iron they were cleaner strikes. Funny, but some of my shots with the TS were so much better than my iron. I see ball marks on the lower part of the face now. Very pleased with this tool. It will be my practice and warmup club this season. I tended to hit a lot of heavy shots or pick them clean. The Tour Striker has helped me move my swing bottom forward. It will be my practice and warmup club this season. I love it!

[ajschn06]

The best part of the infomercial is the lpga teaching pro who "always had trouble with getting lag in the swing".  I got news for you lady, you don't get to be a teaching pro without lag....

[rustyredcab]

Anyone use Tour Striker on matts? Seems like the concept would work even without actual divots, but I'm not sure.

I'm wondering about using it as a winter/indoor/dome training aid. This seems like the perfect thing to find a real steal on eBay which could take a while.

[FlyingKiwi]

Rusty,

I use it mainly on mats. On grass it is too hard too judge whether I actually hit the top of the club.

At our club we have grass and mats. I usually warm up, take the tour striker to the mat area then move on to the grass area with my normal clubs.

It's been a great aid for me.

Donovan

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwi

Rusty,

I use it mainly on mats. On grass it is too hard too judge whether I actually hit the top of the club.

At our club we have grass and mats. I usually warm up, take the tour striker to the mat area then move on to the grass area with my normal clubs.

It's been a great aid for me.

Donovan

Thanks for the answer. What happens when you hit a Tour Striker behind the ball on a matt? Are the matts too forgiving? I fear they would encourage/forgive slightly "fat" shots.

[FlyingKiwi]

Hi Rusty,

I wish mats would show impact better, so it is hard to say. However, there's a big difference in feel for me when I hit it just slightly fat. I can definitely feel it when I hit it fat, and of course thin shots are very clear. I've also found that having a better impact position greatly reduces the chances of hitting it fat. If you don't flip, it's less likely to release it into the ground after all. When I go from mats with the TS to grass with a normal club, fat shots are very rare.

YMMV of course but for me it is the best training aid I've ever used. I liked it so much I've sent one to my dad and my uncle. Worth a try at least!

Donovan

[Green]

Quick question.  With your regular clubs , are you suppose to hit the ball slightly higher than center, or is the tour striker just designed that way for instructional purposes?

[SVTGolfer]

I will say this...

Its very difficult to buy a training aid that you don't know if it works for you or not. That being said, It did nothing for me. I was lucky enough to find one at my local golf store in the used bin for $60. I had it in my hand, and was going to buy it, no question. But just for fun I took it to the hitting bay and gave it a try. The first one I duffed, then the second one I hit great, then the third was good, then the fourth. I took about 10 swings with it and had only missed the first shot. I decided it wasn't worth my money and I put it back in the bin. As my swing is developing more and more, I do not have trouble hitting down on the ball anymore. My irons are like a hot knife thru butter, and I love it. I did not "NEED" the tour striker. Doesn't mean it isn't a good training aid, just means I didn't need that one. Now, an orange whip is another story... Hahaha